The article below was a comment i received for the article: MCA - Lack of Professionalism. While it has been posted there, i still felt that the contents deserve a place as a main posting. I gave it a title and i must apologise to the writer. I had no intent of hijacking the article, as it was a plea from someone who had been involved with cricket for nearly 17 years.
Below is the content of the comment:
"The lack of planning in the running of the domestic cricket in Malaysia is very evident when the NO. 1 league in the country is being played this time of the year... a Premier league team plays a total of 4 matches (50 overs game)over 3 months. The league started very silently in August and it is scheduled to end sometime in October due to Hari Raya and other clashing events. Umpires are picked based on availability and not qualification. The National Body gives an impressions that the Players, state affiliates, ground owners, officials and relevant parties need to work around the national body's schedule. Are they that powerful and strong that they can dictate the lives of people around malaysian cricket or are they simply plain ignorant!!
What is the purpose of the National League?
Is it to produce national players? Is it to bring in sponsors?
Is it to provide a platform for cricketers to perform to the best of their ability?
Or is the 2008 National league held because:
1. it is held every year, so we need to organize it this year as well.
2. we will need to have a domestic competition in order to show to the international cricket bodies that Malaysia actually have a domestic competition in place.
3. We are allocated a certain amount of money for domestic cricket hence we need to have the league.
4. The MCA BGM is coming early next year hence we will need to show to the state affiliates that as the sole governing body of cricket in Malaysia, we are doing a good job eventhough it defeats the purpose.
Where is cricket heading in this country???
I believe in an organization such as MCA, every EXCO member is given a portfolio hence we have an EXCO who is the domestic competition chairman, we have an EXCO who is the head of Umpires Board, we have an EXCO who takes care of the facilities, we have an EXCO who is in charge of DEVELOPMENT and every EXCO member including the President has a portfolio under their name. If each and every one of them just go out and do their job without putting their legs into someone elses portfolio, i am sure cricket in Malaysia will be heading into the right direction..
But that only happens in an ideal world... i am sure all cricket lovers out there who knows and follow international cricket will agree with me that in every country and in every cricket board be it in a TEST or Non TEST country, there will positive as well as negatives vibes around it but at no point did their cricket suffer... Without the game, we won't have cricketers, cricket officials, cricket umpires, cricket groundsman, cricket ground and cricket organizations.
But after being involved in cricket in this country for close to 17 years now... there is a tinge of fear in me that says that cricket will not stand the test of time in Malaysia. It will either die of a natural death or in 10 - 20 years time, cricket will be reduced to just another sport that we used to play..
Oh else.. in 10 - 20 years time we will be known as the best NON TEST playing country in organizing a cricket tournament but do not have enough cricketers to form a national team!
Come on people... the game is bigger than all of us.. so lets all of us give back something positive to the game in whatever way we can.. if you are a cricketer, play to your best of your ability, if you are an umpire, do the best of your duties, if you are an official, make sure you carry out your responsibility well and if you are the sole governing body of cricket in the country, pls pls make sure you understand and realize the huge responsibility that you have to develop and promote this game so that the future generation will not lose out in playing and enjoying this GREAT GAME of CRICKET!!!"
To me, he seem to have captured fairly accurately what is taking place in Malaysian cricket. The game attracts a small population but the "happenings" are unusually high and seem very colourful. It would seem that the people currently involved may allow it to become an "endangered" game i.e like a dinosaur.
Just go back 10 or 20 years, when we were giving Bangladesh a "fight for their money". Today they are a "Test" nation and we are slumbering somewhere despite our big dreams. Why? Look at the title of this article and you can understand it.
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5 comments:
Very well said, but it is easier said then done.
What has the wrriter done for Malaysian cricket in his 17 years of involvement with cricket??
"Just go back 10 or 20 years, when we were giving Bangladesh a 'fight for their money'. Today they are a 'Test' nation and we are slumbering somewhere despite our big dreams." - Every sports in Malaysia is equally the same. The amount of money the goverment throws for football, hockey etc.....where are they???
I strongly disagree with the writter that in 10 - 20 years there will be no cricket in Malaysia or not enough cricketers. Infact, it might happen in 5 years time!!
Everybody including Ghandi can keep on writting on blogs, papers, or event talk in the long bar about Malaysian cricket. Has anyone actually come out and done something for Malaysian cricket. I guess not!!!
Dear Anonymous,
You said "Has anyone actually come out and done something for Malaysian Cricket".
I am sure there are people who have done and still doing for the betterment of cricket.
The problem is you have to fight the system that is established where father, mother and son control the cricket in MCA.
Secondly, the President do not know what is happening in MCA. He is busy with his other business and leaves completely in the hand of the Hon. Sect. who seems to take advantage if it.
Cricket will no die in Malaysia. we have to get a bigger pool of players to choose from. Forming a second national team (backup) will improve things. Choose only the best to play for Malaysia.
anonymous2
Anonymous,
This is the typical mentality of so-called champions of Malaysian cricket. When one mentioned that he's been involved in the game for a certain period, another one will just dismiss it ala crab mentality. The game has progressed tremendously in the last 10 years in terms of spreading it to the schools where 20 years ago (ironically) the national schools tournament only involved a single age group (i.e. U18 / U20 years old). Now we have the U12s, U15s, U17s and U18s in both national and regional championships. The only problem seems to be the national seniors who have not achieved success at the international level (that's the governing body's baby) that has caused so many disgruntled and even personal comments.
The foundation is already in place with certain states (sadly not all though) and unsung individuals fervently developing the game at grassroot level (refer to the MCA website).
So all you champions who still live in past glories bragging away like a walking Wisden almanac, mind you the volumes get thicker in the long bars, walk the talk and contribute positively. You may be too old or tired to lift a bat but critical analysis and supportive encouragement to the present players (especially the juniors) performances during matches certainly helps. Give back to what the game has given you. Yes the game is bigger than all of us.
When you mentioned the national body's baby.
We have to look at the statistic of the national players. Over the past few years how many have really played, remained or gone. Has the list of name remained the same over the past few years. How many actually perform in the local and international scene.
MCA should have their statistic, maybe they can publish in the blog. Then it will be transparent to all.
One MCA big wig has recommended this site http://cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/MAL.html for stats of the national players (foreign based more trustworthy although the records are aplenty in the association's office).
What's the point of blowing up the past performances? Was David Beckham chosen so that he could earn his 100th England cap even though his current form suggest otherwise?
Whatever statistics show, there will be a smart alec in the MCA who will conjure up some excuses for the justification of selecting certain players, like the sayings "three kinds of lies - lies, damned lies and statistics"
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